"Are you that rumored girl?"

"Yes. Or no. Depend on which rumored girl you think I am."

"You're that helper. The helper that would do anything the client ask in exchange of money. And, all within a day."

"In that case, the answer is yes."

"Then, I have a job for you."

"And what that would be?"

"Kill me."

My first encounter with Matsui Rena was unexpected. I was sitting on my favourite bench in the city park. Spending the night there. Or just waiting for someone to call me for help. Which for me, means job. The sky that morning was light blue. A pleasant day to come.

I was laying while staring the sky, wondering what the cloud shaped today. I was counting, when my viewed got blocked. I was kinda surprised, and embarrassed, getting caught off guard. I'm going to be made, if only the one who blocked my view was any less than a beauty.

For 20 years of my life, that exact moment was the first time I encountered a perfect human being. At least for me. From head to toe, no flaw I could pinpoint—the straight black hair down to her chest, tiny pale hands, the river in her eyes—all completed when she let out her gentle voice. It was dreamy. I could listen to hers all day. I bet her singing voice is as good as her voice do.

She asked me, smile never leaves her face. Even before she finished her sentence, I knew she came for a reason, and for one reason only. She needs help. That's my job. I do everything, from delivering things, baby-sitting a kid, doing rough job, becoming a client's girlfriend, everyting. The payment's varied. Depend on how hard the task is. And all must be done between one day. Most done faster though.

But, the task she gave me was ridiculous. No, no way I would do that. No normal human would. I must ask her to recite her words several times to ensure what I heard was just right. But no. This girl want to die. And she asked me to end her life.

"I have a bank account here. When I die, you could have all the money here."

She gave me her account book. I gasped as I found more than 9 zeros in her total sum of money. I looked at her. She was wearing a maroon-colored coat covered with black muffler on the neck, blue jeans, knee-length boots, none seems expensive, but in my experience, costly goods sometimes looks duller than cheap one.

"Do you think the money in that account was not mine?"

Her voice would be mesmerizing if only I did not hear what she just told me to do. But yes, I doubted her. Such a young looking woman with money as much as a large-sized company would have.

"Don't worry. We can go to the bank if you don't believe me."

"No, that's not what I mean."

"Then?"

I bit my lips. Wondering myself why these lady before me asked such things. Moreover, to a peasant just like me.

"You don't want to do what I ask."

Her words pierced through me. I rarely refused any task. I chose of course, but as of today, no one ever asked me to do something this bad. No one ever asked me to kill, especially not to kill herself.

"Don't worry about the law and such. I have already arranged everything. No one will catch you. No one will take your freedom from you. No police will come after you. No, no one will know that you have killed a human being."

"That's not it. Why don't you do it yourself?"

She smiled. Those kind of angelic smile.

In spite of answering my question, she took the hem of her coat and rolled it up.

Again, I gasped. There were marks. Cut marks. On her arm. It was so many and uneven.

"I did. But as you can see. I'm still alive." She rolled back her coat and this time, holding her arm.

"No. Your offer is interesting. But no. I'm not a murderer."

A frown flashed on her face but she kept her pace and now bend down so that her face just several inches from mine.

"You won't refuse me." she whispered, "you would life a happy life if you don't. Do you forget about your sister who was now laying in the hospital?"

My eyes widen. How did she know about my sister? I always keep my private life's secret.

"These sum of money, would send her home. She would be happy. She could live a normal life. And you don't have to worry about the yakuzas either."

The image of my sister running around in school uniform flashed before my eyes. With that money, she can be cured. She could get better treatment. And I don't have to worry about those debt collector.

"All you have to do, is shoot me, right in the head."

I felt a cold object in my hand. She gave me a gun.

I stared at her for a few second then down at my hand. I never touched a gun before, not to say hold it, moreover, fire it. And it felt weirder than I think it will. It was heavy, cold, and dark. Dangerous.

"Okay. But, I have to make sure that everything you said was true. Including those bank account, your plan to keep everything under control. And whether this gun is real or not."

She smiled. She won.

We went to the bank and checked her account. She told me everything I need to know, calmly. How could she keep calm when she was about to die? Moreover, she was going to be killed, by no other than me. Me, myself, was nervous all the way here. My palms' sweating, and by time, it shook more frantically.

"So, anything you want to ask?"asked her as we left the bank. "Why would you want to kill yourself?"

She stunned for a while before smiling again.

"I'm just bored."

"Bored? You're just, wait, 26 years old right? You're not married, and don't have any children, yet. Not to mention you have so much money. You could get anything you want. Why would you be bored?"

Again, she smiled. She just looked like those wise monk.

"That's why, Jurina. I could get anything I want. That's why I'm bored."

"But still, to the extent that you want to die?"

"Yes."

I was speechless. If I were her, I would spend the money to rebuild my life. Not to hire someone to kill myself. She was already beyond perfect. Perfect appearance, perfect condition, and I could say, perfect life.

"Then, as my principal I would kill you in between 24 hours. We spent an hour since I accepted your task. So, we have 23 hours left. Normally, I would do my job as fast as I could. But, this time, I'll let you spend the day until the last second."

The smile still plastered on her face. All this time she listen to my every words silently and only replied when she had too.

"Then, let's go. I have arranged where I would die. And how. You should just follow the instruction. C'mon. We're going on a drive."

She took my hand casually, and led me to her car. In normal condition, I would blush when a pretty girl took my hand and entwined it together with hers. But what I got was nervousness, and anxiety.

She drove her car out of town. I didn't know how far she would take me or how I go back then.

I threw glances to her time to time. She looked overly calm for someone who gonna take her own life. But I saw her hands shaking and she blow her hand, whether out of coldness or nervousness.

"So, tell me about yourself, Jurina." said her, broke the silent.

"Me? Don't you know everything about me?" since you know about my hospitalized sister. And my debt.

"Pretty much, yes. But I want to hear more from you. Some kind of useless trivia maybe?"

"I'm just me. Nothing interesting. I dropped out from my school when my parents died in accident, no, they were killed by the yakuza. And end up leaving me and my sister a huge debt."

"I'm sorry about that." said her. But I'm pretty sure she had known that, from her voice tone.

"Nah. They're long gone."

I expected her to ask some more but she stayed silent, so here I am, continue staring at the window.

"My father just died."

Turned around, I thought I would find a crying woman who just lost her dad, but what I saw was a grin. Huge grin from ear to ear.

"I killed him."

My eyes almost bulged out of its socket.

"After this long time he finally dead. You should look how he beg for his life when I told him I'll shoot. It's so funny." She laughed. So whole-heartedly that I saw tears forming on the corner of her eyes.

"Don't you scared of me now?" asked her when her laugh finally dead down.

I was startled, of course. But, strangely, I didn't feel any sign of fear.

"You must have suffered much."

This time, she was stunned. Her grin disappeared, replaced with an open mouth.

The traffic lamp turned green.

We arrived at a beach. It was winter, no wonder the beach were deserted. However, it must be her private beach. I didn't saw anyone else, beside those crab that managed to bite me and I ended up being treated by her while she giggling all the way.

Five minutes walk from the beach, we finally reached a cottage. A cottage that was actually too big too be called a cottage. That moment I stand in front of the fence, was the third time I left my mouth hanging opened today. Purely white, European styled cottage, the size were about the size of the park I used to sleep in everyday. Easily saying. It was ridiculously big.

"Jurina! Let's go in. I'll prepare you a lunch."

Rena shouted and called me in. Paper bag in her hug. Did I mention we went to a supermarket in the way here? That was such a deal. She couldn't decide what to cook and keep going around the entire supermarket. When she finally did, we already spent hours in there. Not that I disliked being with her though. It was funny when I saw her confusion. It was funnier that I know, she would be died, in my hand, just a couple of hours from now.

In half an hour, the lunch's ready. It was great. I hadn't eaten like this for, I didn't know how many years. One more plus point for her, she's good at cooking.

"Do you like it?" asked her. She herself didn't eat much. She doesn't eat meat, she doesn't like it. So she ended up eating salad. Only fruit and vegetable salad, with mashes potatoes. While, I ate beef-burger with fried rice.

"IT'S AWESOME! Seriously, this is the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. Well, less than my mother's spaghetti meat balls though."

She stunned a bit and then smiled. Her changes of expression were so fun to watch.

"Do you miss your mother?"

My spoon stopped halfway. I put it down back on my plates. My mom face flashed like an old photo album. The last moments of us weren't so great but I still remember how good my mom's cooking were. Yes. I miss her.

"Fuh, then, let's go to the beach after this." said her, snapped me back to reality. I hurriedly finished the meal and helped her do the dishes.

The sun began to set, leaving the sky orange in color. It's been a while since I saw the sky this kind. It wasn't summer, and indeed it was chilly, but it was beautiful. Sitting down on the sand, clothes wet from our previous season of playing around the cold sea. I hugged my knees as I witness the moment when a day come to an end. She sit beside me, just as wet as me, head leaning on my shoulder.

We stayed still for another minute. When the night finally rolled in, my lips crushed with hers. didn't know, and I don't want to know what initiated it, but there we were, my hands on her hand, my lips on hers.

"Do you really want to die?" I asked, panting.

She flashed another smile, this one was even lonelier than the previous ones. She tucked my shirt, brought my lips back to hers.

"Yes." she whispered. Her words' trembling. She was afraid. No, it was me. It was me all along.

"C'mon, we'll catch a cold if we stay here."

She got up and brushed the sands on her knees. With another smile, she magically dragged me back to the cottage.

"Do you really want this?"

"Yes."

A bullet shot through to air. It made buzzing sound. No 'bang' that were heard due to the silencer attached.

Right before me, a finely-shaped figure lost her balanced and dropped to the ground. I stood still, hand still pointing at the now void space.

With that small bump sound, the sunlight made its way to my face, temporarily blinding me. It was 20 hours from our first encounter. Just 20 hours.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw her smiling. She won. She finally won. She won the gamble of her life.

Far away outside, I heard engine's sound roared through the unsettled distance. The collector is here.

I took out the silencer. Staring at the gun she gave me.

Droplets of tears fallen down right on the the killing machine. I smiled. I could saw her face smiling at me.

I took the gun to my side of head.

'You win, Rena.'